The Belated Return of Loud Mushy Rock

There would be no expectations for Staind were it not for the video of their frontman warbling "Outside" before a stadium campfire as Durst croaks along, and the obvious fact that Lewis's head is the ideal canvas for sweat beads to trickle down. Yet while his barren confessional "It's Been a While" has vaulted Break the Cycle into a sphere that hasn't evolved since the days of Guns N' Roses, Staind's abundant bleakness is hardly the aftermath of a debauched existence. Instead, it's a symptom of always being on the outside looking in, forever uneasy on the eyes. And in the end, Aaron Lewis knows the last thing a square peg wants is someone who's willing to sing harmonies.